Treasury Imposes Financial Sanctions on Leaders of Vicious Mexican Drug Cartel

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has imposed financial sanctions on two leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel who were indicted in 2017 for conspiring to import and distribute heroin in the United States. The fugitives, 59-year-old Rodolfo Maldonado-Bustos, also known as Don Jose, and 51-year-old Euclides Camacho-Goicochea, also known as El Quilles, are believed to be residing in Mexico.

The indictments against the two leaders include charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, conspiracy to import heroin into the U.S., and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. These charges were filed in 2017 and were recently unsealed by the grand jury.

Financial Sanctions

The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has announced financial sanctions against Camacho-Goicochea and Maldonado-Bustos. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that these actions are aimed at hitting the cartels’ criminal operations where it hurts the most – their profits. The US government is committed to disrupting the cartels profiting from drug trafficking and human smuggling that have been causing devastation in communities and posing a threat to national security.

Investigation and Allegations

The investigation, initiated in September 2016 by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and IRS, revealed that the La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel members were involved in importing heroin, cocaine, and marijuana into the U.S., particularly in locations like the Northern District of Georgia. Maldonado-Bustos, identified as a "high-level cartel member," was allegedly coordinating the manufacturing of substantial amounts of heroin in Mexico. It was uncovered that he directed the harvesting of gum from opium fields, procured chemicals to process the gum into heroin, and supplied Camacho-Goicochea and other conspirators in Mexico with the heroin to import into cities in the United States, including Atlanta and Houston.

DEA’s Efforts and Sanctions

Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the DEA Atlanta Field Division highlighted the importance of denying drug cartels the profits earned from distributing poison in communities. The DEA Atlanta will continue to combat the La Nueva Familia cartel by arresting its members and seizing their drugs and assets.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized that the sanctions aim to sever the cartels' ties to the U.S. financial system and the dollar, making their business extremely difficult or impossible. The objective is to cut off their financial resources, particularly those related to trafficking fentanyl into the U.S.